Many employers believe that employees belong in the office despite their work supporting remote working arrangements. Businesses allowing employees remote work options find that those employees are happier and more productive. The COVID-19 pandemic event has put this to the test as workers must work remotely, collaborating via messaging, email, and videoconferencing software.
With this large share of the U.S. workforce working remotely, the question becomes how will employers respond to employee concerns over returning to the office? Will more employers allow workers the option to delay returns, or not return, much like Twitter has done? It remains to be seen.
Gallop polled remote workers regarding where they stood on work location once workplace restrictions ended:
◦ 26% stated they would return to their office or workplace once businesses reopened.
◦ 25% preferred working from home because of coronavirus concerns, but indicated they would return to their office once the fear subsided.
◦ The remaining half of remote workers preferred working from home as opposed to reporting to their offices with some citing coronavirus concerns.
Despite some challenges with working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic—kids, homeschooling, etc.—many people found working from home desirable. Now comfortably working from home, could these same people seek new jobs that make remote work the norm and not the exception? This is where coworking spaces play a role. Flexible office spaces allow people who work in traditional offices the ability to work within a professional atmosphere with minor concern. For entrepreneurs, coworking spaces are the perfect day to day escape from the confines of home and family to a place where you work productively minus the endless requests to play CandyLand.
Data suggests still that not everything has been a bed of roses for people who work remotely. Reports of loneliness, distractions, difficulty unplugging from work, lack of networking access, and unreliable wi-fi top a growing list of frustrations. Coworking can go a long way towards being a happy medium for employees reluctant to go back to their offices.
If nothing else, COVID-19 has shown employers that employees can manage their workload from home and run in a manner that neither harms the business nor alienates customers Research supports employees working remotely as the best solution for many businesses. It’s estimates that 56% of the workers have jobs favorable for remote work. On the flip side, only 3.6% of workforce works remotely even 50% of the time. Statistics show that employers can save upwards of $11,000 per year for every remote worker who works from home half of the time. The same study estimates that “25-30% of the workforce will work-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.” This means for most employers, the future of business may be establishing regular work-from-home access and setting up your employees with access to coworking spaces for higher productivity.
It’s anyone’s best guess when we will exit the COVID-19 era, so it’s wise to plan accordingly. Coworking space use for your staff may be the new business norm.
